Vidarbha, the defending champions, have declared a 17-member team to celebrate their Ranji Trophy first-match against Nagaland and it will be held at Nagaland Cricket Association Stadium between October 15 and 18. Akshay Wadkar will remain the captain with the addition of Shivam Deshmukh and Praful Hinge to the team providing a depth in both batting and bowling.
Vidarbha, the holders of the title, who beat Kerala in the final last season, have started the new campaign in good shape next to a 93-run victory in the Irani Cup over the Rest of India. They will however be denied the services of seasoned batter Karun Nair who is replaced by Ravikumar Samarth. The coach is Usman Ghani and he is assisted by Dharmender Ahlawat.
The team of Vidarbha is well balanced between the experienced and the young talent. Harsh Dubey, the record 69 wicket-taker of the previous season, the left-arm spinner will also be a prominent component of the bowling attack. Yash Rathod is in the frontline in batting having scored 960 runs in the last year with five centuries. He is going to be assisted by Danish Malewar who scored 783 and captain Akshay Wadkar who contributed 722 in an unbeaten campaign by Vidarbha.
Vidarbha will seek to maintain its winning streak and is ranked in Elite Group A alongside such teams as Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra. The titleholders have regular players and young talent in the fray and, therefore, they will seek to start their Ranji journey on the right foot and gain an early momentum.
Vidarbha Announce Squad and Support Staff for Upcoming Season
Vidarbha Squad:
Akshay Wadkar (c&wk), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Danish Malewar, Yash Rathod (vc), Harsh Dubey, Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Aditya Thakare, Yash Kadam, Shivam Deshmukh (wk), Praful Hinge, Akshay Karnewar, Dhruv Shorey, R Samarth.
Support staff:
Usman Ghani (head coach), Dharmender Ahlawat (assistant coach), Yuvraj Singh Dasondhi (strength and conditioning), Dr Nitin Khurana (physio), Ajeenkya Sawale (video analyst), Bhushan Zhade (masseur), Yash Thorat (sidearm throw), and Jitendra Dharbhe (manager).
